Joseph Chamsay

"A highlight of my uni experience is being able to work in a professional setting and meeting other people in the industry."

Joseph Chamsay completed the IB at Brent International School Manila before moving to Melbourne to study Economics in the Bachelor of Arts.

“I applied direct for the University of Melbourne after evaluating my offers and finding more benefits to the Melbourne Model. I took Economics at the time thinking it was what I wanted to do, but my involvement in Media subjects in my undergraduate helped me to decide that switching was the best thing in the end.”

Joseph eventually changed his major to Media and Communications, and did freelance media work before progressing to graduate study. He is now studying a Master of Producing at the Victorian College of the Arts, part of the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music at the University of Melbourne.

“A highlight of my uni experience is being able to work in a professional setting and meeting other people in the industry. We were given the tools to establish our own industry connections, which really set me up for opportunities I wouldn’t have otherwise.” Joseph completed an internship with Princess Pictures as part of his degree, on a show that was produced in partnership with the ABC. He’s also built networks with media companies like Channel 9.

Another highlight has been access to some of the top creative minds in Australia, including lecturers who are still heavily involved in the industry while teaching. His favourites are Stephen Luby and Donna Hensler. Stephen lectures in Creative Producing and has worked on films including The Secret River and Crackerjack. Donna is a prolific film producer and Film and TV (Producing) lecturer.

His advice to new students is to “use the Melbourne model to sign up for classes/electives you wouldn't normally choose. Join clubs that you're passionate about - they're a great way to make friends!”